Sunday Times 4508 (21 Oct 2012) by Jeff Pearce

Solving time: 41:45

I found this one fairly average in terms of difficulty. I don’t think there were any new words in here to me, although there were a couple of unfamiliar ones – BERTHA & PERI. I got them both from the rest of the wordplay, but both were vaguely familiar.

It took me way too long to get the actor. It should have been my FOI, but I just didn’t see PETER, getting stuck on CHRIS as a possible first name. It all seemed fair enough – I don’t think I have any complaints. I liked the cheeky wordplay in 25d so that gets my COD.

cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this

Across
5 ROLL + MOP
9 REPTILIAN = (PIRATE + L + IN)*
10 D(UR)ER – ‘old city’ = UR is about as chestnutty as they come. I remember my Dad teaching me about that one, and that must be the best part of thirty years ago!
11 BERTH + A – a wide, usually lace, collar worn by ladies to cover a dress with a low neckline.
12 AFTER + A + L/L
14 UN + P(Lecture)EASANT
16 TIN + pantrY
18 TART – dd
19 CAMELOPARD = (COP ALARMED)* – the original Latin name for the giraffe. The Romans believed it to be some strange hybrid of the camel and the leopard, and named it accordingly.
22 IN + SPADES
23 S + NIP + ED
26 STORM = ROTS rev + Military
27 OLD MASTER – dd – although I’m not sure that being an old teacher necessarily implies that you’re soon to leave. Some of my teachers, I remember, just seemed to go on and on. ‘Old’ was just another step on the way towards becoming venerable and perhaps ancient.
28 rEJECTED
29 MINARET = ambassadoR in (INMATE)* – for once, ambassador is not HE
Down
1 C(A + RIB + O)U
2 SUP + ER
3 IRISH SEA – cd
4 GRINd
5 RING FINGER – cd
6 L + ADDER
7 MARGARITA = A + RITA all after GRAM rev
8 PAR(S)LEY
13 ESCAPE ROAD = (A CAR + SPEEDO)*
15 PERIS + COPE
17 FOUNTAIN = (IN A FUTON)*
18 TRI(E + S)TE – I didn’t realize Trieste was in Italy. I knew it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire pre-WWI (thanks to the Diplomacy board game), and just assumed, due to its location, that it had become part of Yugoslavia, and then either Slovenia or Croatia after the break up. But no, apparently the Italians claimed it for themselves after WWII.
20 DIDEROT = Daily + (EDITOR)*
21 MARMOT = ARM in TOM rev (Not TARMAC as I very nearly put in!)
24 PETER CUSHING = (SCENE + UPRIGHT)* – I love the semi-&lit qualities of this clue.
25 EDAM – It’s invented because it’s MADE up – brilliant!

12 comments on “Sunday Times 4508 (21 Oct 2012) by Jeff Pearce”

  1. 31 minutes with CAMELOPARD and BERTHA unknown. Good to see that Peter Cushing is still remembered and considered worthy of inclusion in a Times crossword. I enjoyed this one.
  2. I thought this an excellent crossword in every respect, the second fine effort in a row by this setter. 24dn/1ac and 25dn particularly good.
  3. A bit of a struggle but satisfying to finish. Didn’t know BERTHA as a collar (I thought it was a gun) but it was easily gettable from the cryptic. 38 minutes. Ann
  4. A surprisingly quick 16:53. I’d thought something was missing from the clue in 25d; thanks once again to Dave for removing the scales from my eyes. A brilliant clue, indeed. 14ac had been my COD candidate, but the gold goes to 25. DNK BERTHA and ESCAPE ROAD; and I was surprised at CAMELOPARD since I thought it was obsolete. I seem to have a vague memory (well, all my memories are vague these days) of an objection being raised to some word that has a diaeresis, and I was wondering if anyone was going to take issue with DURER (Dürer).
    1. My understanding is that English-speaking crosswords ignore all diacritics in answers. Some English spellings indicate the different pronunciation, such as “Schoenberg”, but others like Handel and Durer just ignore it.
  5. What do these letters mean in this context? I gather it means favorite.

    Judy in Vancouver, Canada

  6. Thanks, Geoff. That makes sense.

    To Roy,
    My source of the puzzle is the Vancouver Sun. We get the puzzle about four weeks after it is originally published.

    Judy in Vancouver, Canada

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